Peer Response Final. 2

1

Caranto

Andrew Caranto

Holly Cullom

Writing 121 (Friday)

Ethnography Part 3

October 30, 2013

Criminal gangs of the Philippines

Abraham Lincoln once said, "There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending." The once prevalent face of organized crime from the early 1900s has been eliminated… from the United States that is. Each country throughout the world has had a bout of crime. Most of the countries have managed to reach a resolution to the issue. Although we may have most of the corruption and plague that organized crime once brought about suppressed, the citizens of the Philippines still live with gangs and terrorist groups roaming about their beautiful country.

Most often when we think about crime and murder, our ideas revolve around the general notion that those who commit crimes are acting out of need and desperation. To those who don’t know any better, it makes perfect sense. Who would really break rules and social norms to such a high degree unless it was deemed necessary or crucial to their financial survival? According to my informant James via a secondary interview, most crime in the Philippines is really carried out with a get-rich-quick motivation behind it.

At no surprise I learned that tourists, Americans mainly, act as the largest opportunity for common acts of crime like murder, robbery, and pick pocketing. James explained that the reason so many foreigners are targeted is because “when Americans come to visit the Philippines, a lot of them treat it [their vacation] like an extension of the US. They let their guard down and stay in a place with minimal security or protection. They do not hide the fact that they have money when in public, which makes them a target.” There are certain rules that he makes a point of to tell people on their first trips to the islands. James says that the first rule is “never keep your wallet in your back pocket, always in the front.” This minimizes the opportunity for your wallet being stolen. Aside from that he also advises to “always keep your money in your American bank. You can’t always trust the banks in the Philippines because some of the bankers message the crooks when somebody withdraws money, and then they follow you and threaten you for it.” Acting as another wise tip from James, this serves as a great reminder to always remain on our toes when handling our finances in a foreign community.

Internet scams, credit card fraud, and trust games are also prevalent among the small-scale crimes (“International Travel Information: Philippines”). People who visit the Philippines, especially alone, should exercise extreme caution when meeting people who seem a little too friendly to newcomers (“International Travel Information: Philippines”). Often times solo travelers are targeted for their belongings shortly after setting foot into the country via staged vehicle accidents (predominantly when going by taxi), or are seemingly befriended by a friendly native who invites the traveler to meet their Filipino family only later to wake up from being drugged with a sedative, having valuables and ATM cards removed. The criminals then drain the bank accounts associated with the cards (“International Travel Information: Philippines”).

Knowing that, it is always a good idea to connect with a trusted local or native to discuss personal crime prevention when traveling. New areas should always be visited with company who can look out for each other. Fortunately though, “The Philippines has a victim compensation program to provide financial compensation to victims of violent or personal crime and of unjust imprisonment” (“International Travel Information: Philippines”). This means that most people can recover a portion of their losses through public services if they happen to be a victim of crime.

Aside from small-scale personal crimes, gangs and terrorist groups can also be found throughout the Philippines. “For the last several years, the Department of State has warned U.S. citizens of the risks of terrorist activity in the Philippines. Terrorist groups and criminal gangs continue to operate in most regions of the Philippines” ("2013 Crime and Safety Report, Philippines") thus showing that said terrorist groups are well-known throughout the Philippines. One of the larger and better known organizations participating in such is a communist group called the New People’s Army. “The NPA frequently demands ‘revolutionary taxes’ from local and, at times, foreign businesses and business people, and sometimes the NPA attacks infrastructure such as power facilities, telecommunication towers, and bridges to enforce its demands…The NPA targeted, attacked, damaged, and destroyed mining equipment in Surigao and agricultural operations in Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental on numerous occasions. In December, the NPA kidnapped three government militiamen and three civilians in Davao City” ("2013 Crime and Safety Report, Philippines"). Knowing that, the New People’s Army is considered a dangerous extremist group. Practicing terrorism and extortion, it’s no question why they are among the most infamous gangs in the Philippines.

A global terrorism information firm Study of Terrorism And Responses to Terrorism (START) based in the University of Maryland has shown that the NPA has attempted to talk peace with the government of the Philippines in the 1990s (“Terrorism Profile: NPA”). Despite negotiating a fair amount, “The peace talks did not successfully halt the NPA's terrorist activities. Today, the group is considered a significant threat to the Filipino government” (“Terrorism Profile: NPA”). According to START, there are approximately 16 known active terrorist organizations in the Philippines. Thankfully though, as of 2012 “there were no confirmed reports of international or transnational terrorism in the Philippines” ("2013 Crime and Safety Report, Philippines") so rest assured, these criminal extremist groups are steering clear of the US.

Through the research of Filipino terrorism, one of the tactics of the NPA group seemed to describe the incident with James’ friend, who was once a part of one of the gangs, and was murdered speaking out in public against them. “The second NPA tactic is targeted assassinations of Filipino citizens who are critical of the New People's Army. The group specifically targets Filipino politicians, security officials, and members of the news media” (“Terrorism Profile: NPA”). The purported reasoning behind the NPA’s motivation for these assassinations starts with their hope to provoke the government into repressing both the gang and the society that they reside in. This in turn will cause the citizens of those areas to revolt against the government controlling them, allowing the NPA to change the ruling style to communism (“Terrorism Profile: NPA”).

It was quite fascinating to learn of the origins to a tragic event that James unfortunately experienced. When we compare foreign affairs such as those occurring in the Philippines, to those of the United States, surprising would be an understatement. Often times our focus leads more intrinsically as a country. Our media represents what a vast majority of US citizens care about, with foreign affairs marking a very meager percentage of airtime. Despite the underlying idea of the level of crime however, I would definitely still choose to travel to the islands, as I believe the positive experiences easily outweigh the negatives when taken carefully and with caution. One thing I believe we can all take away from this is that you’re better safe then sorry, especially when leaving the area that you know best.